The "Buresh Blog" will take the week of Christmas to enjoy family, food & hopefully some relaxation. I'll begin regular posts by Dec. 31 but will post during the week if the weather looks like it might become active.
So here's wishing you the very best of the holiday season -- Merry Christmas!
The photo below is from Pascale Head where snow was falling just a week before Christmas.
Earth Gauge: In Hot Water
What does a long, hot shower have to do with your energy bill? More than you might think! Heating water accounts for about 12 percent of the average family’s utility bill – the biggest cost after space heating and cooling.
Tip: Try these easy tips to reduce hot water use at home:
· You don’t have to skip your shower – just shorten it a bit. And in most cases, choose a shower over a bath. Filling up a large bathtub can use more hot water than a five-minute shower!
· Lower the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees if possible. Every 10 degree drop saves 3-5 percent on your water heating costs.
· Use cold water to wash most laundry loads. Cold water detergents are available in many stores.
· Wash only full loads in the dishwasher and choose shorter cycles when possible.
· Fix leaks. A leak of one drip per second can cost one dollar per month. That might not seem like much, but at 60 drips per minute, you waste 8.64 gallons per day, 259 gallons per month, and just over 3,153 gallons in a year!
(Source: Energy.gov. “15 ways to save on your water heating bill.”)
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State of the Climate Report - Highlights from NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. Visit http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/ for more information.
Climate Fact: Cool Temperatures, Dry Weather Expands Drought Cover
The Southeast had a cool November 2012, with the coastal sections of Virginia and the Carolinas having temperature departures five to six degrees Fahrenheit below normal. A cold snap from November 6 to 8 brought freezing temperatures as far south as southern Alabama. Across the region, 200 daily temperature records were tied or broken during this three-day period. The coldest conditions, however, occurred on Thanksgiving weekend, when subfreezing temperatures were recorded as far south as central Florida on November 25. The month was exceptionally dry, with over 100 locations recording one of their top-five driest Novembers on record. The driest conditions were found in Florida, with some stations receiving only ten percent of normal rainfall. The dry conditions pushed 70 percent of the region into abnormally dry or drought conditions, a figure up from 40 percent at the end of October. Atlanta’s primary water source, Lake Lanier, is at its lowest level since March 2009.
For more information -- click here.
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Climate in the News: Leiser, Ken. “Low water on Mississippi River causes barge companies to lighten loads.” – St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 17, 2012
The drought is making the Mississippi river less navigable. In response, the Army Corps of Engineers has been doing round-the-clock dredging since early July.
